Seasons of Love
by RecklessSummerNights
Summary: Rory and Tristan meet again at a different time in their lives after both have changed a lot and get a second chance. Futurefic. A little OOC.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Rory and Tristan meet once again at a different stage of life. They've both changed and matured and may be ready to start something together, finally.

AN: I hope you enjoy the story and please realize that I'm trying to make this as much like real life as possible. Also, I do change the characters a bit to fit my own imagination but I try and keep them the same as much as I can. I know we all love Rory and Tristan for who they really are!

Disclaimer: Obviously, I own nothing but this story. Not GG or the characters or even the actors.

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I grabbed the ringing phone from the hook and propped it between her shoulder and ear while grabbing some manila folders from a file cabinet.

"Rory Gilmore." My voice sounded very businesslike.

"Hey. What's an oximeter?"

I rolled her eyes at mom's question, "An instrument that measures the oxygen in blood. Why?"

"I was flipping through the dictionary and wanted to know if you knew what it was. Do you know what zounds are?"

"Sounds of surprise right?"

"Mild exclamations. Jeez, you are so smart."

"Mom, I'm at work. Can this wait till later?"

"Fine." Lorelai sighed, pretending to be exasperated. "I know you back checkers have a lot of work. Call me later okay? Say hi to Todd for me."

"I will. Bye."

I hung up and dropped the folders on my cubicle desk. I'd been a back checker for a year and a half. I had written about three articles for our paper and sent things into magazines all the time but still haven't received my desired promotion.

Todd is my boyfriend. We've been together for about four months and he works at the paper too. He's the sports editor. It's kind of ironic since I know nothing about sports and really don't care to learn. But we're happy.

The phone rang again and I sighed, exasperated and grabbed it, beginning a conversation with someone about their article. My second and third lines began ringing at almost the same time and I quickly hung up with the first person before turning on my voicemail for the night. It was quarter to five and I figured my boss wouldn't mind if I left fifteen minutes early for some much needed coffee and R&R.

My navy pea coat pulled tightly around me, my black leather messenger bag slung over my shoulder, I headed down the street of New York into a small snowstorm. I sighed and thought of my favorite coffee place, almost all the way across town. Instead I wandered the streets until I came across a coffee house. I ordered an extra large coffee with an extra shot to go and headed back out into the growing storm.

I wasn't in the mood to go home quite yet and start my boring weekend so I walked a bit further until I saw an intriguing looking building. It looked like any other New York building but a particular door in the middle was painted bright green.

I approached the building slowly. There was a sign in the window reading 'Hole in the Wall'. It looked small and dingy from the outside but I could see books through the snow covered window and pushed open the door. A small bell sounded and a woman glanced up from the counter. She smiled.

"Hey, brave of you to venture out in this storm."

I grinned, "Well, I'd do anything for some good books."

A nod from the woman, "I'm Lucy. And yeah, help yourself. The books are just kind of everywhere. Not organized by genre or the alphabet or anything. They're anywhere and everywhere. New and used. Ask if you need help. And if you head up those stairs over there, there's a loft where you can enjoy a good book."

This woman was amazing. This place was amazing. I was already in love. I drank my coffee and wandered the aisles. My stack of books grew until finally I decided to head home before the storm got worse. I juggled the stack and dropped it on the counter.

Lucy looked up with a smile, "An avid reader, huh?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely."

"Me too. I love this place. I spend almost all of my time here."

"Do you own the place?"

She nodded, "I live upstairs. I constantly find myself down here reading or finding new books. It's really very handy. I've read a ton. It's like my own little library and there's always something new coming in."

She was punching in numbers on an old computer, trying to get my total. She frowned in concentration so I decided to stop talking and let her work. I found myself studying here and analyzing her, the reporter side of me, I suppose. She was a little bit shorter than me with dark red hair about shoulder length. It was cut bluntly and made her green eyes stand out. She had a gorgeous shaped face. Almost heart shaped. She seemed a bit eccentric and in that, charming.

I jumped as the bell above the door rang, signaling another customer's entrance.

Lucy glanced up and then her face broke into a giant smile, "Hey! I wasn't expecting you! What are you doing here?"

I turned my head over my shoulder to see who Lucy was happy to see and froze. Standing stone still at the door, staring at me, jaw hanging wide open, was none other than Tristan DuGrey.

Of course, I realized as I studied him further, doing some staring of my own, he had indeed grown up quite a bit. He seemed a little taller, if that was even possible. And more muscular and manly. His hair was a little shorter but still messy and a darker shade of blonde than it was in high school. He had a day or two of stubble on his chin and he looked absolutely gorgeous.

I could only imagine what he was thinking of me and how I'd changed, especially since I was such a mess. But that of course, I would never know. Because now, he was stepping forward and extending a hand to me. Automatically, my hand shot out and shook his offered hand. He smiled. Oh, that smile. So gorgeous. So amazing. I think I'm melting.

"Hey. Wow, Rory, you look great."

"Thanks." I think I may have blushed a little. I don't think I've blushed in years. "So do you. Really different."

"Good different I hope?"

I nodded unable to say much more.

Lucy was still smiling but she looked confused, "What's going on? You know each other?"

Tristan shook his head, "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I assume you two have met since Luce always introduces herself to whoever comes in but I didn't even think. Rory, this is my older sister, Lucy. Luce, Rory went to Chilton with me. She hated me."

He sounded so matter of fact but not at all upset. He even sounded like he was teasing me a little. I giggled, "I did not! You just weren't my favorite person to be around. You were very immature. I'll assume you've changed."

"Why don't we grab a cup of coffee and you can find out?"

His move was so smooth. It fit right into conversation and didn't sound like a cheesy pick up line. It didn't sound like a pick up line at all. So unlike Tristan that I found myself nodding.

Just let me finish up here."I told him.

"Take your time," He said, "I'm going to grab another book to take along with me. Luce, I'm going to stick this one back on the shelf somewhere."

I glanced at the book he had in his hand. Oliver Twist. "I'll take it." I volunteered and he handed it over with a smile before disappearing between the shelves.

Lucy took it and added it to my stack, "So you know Tris, huh? One of his many admirers?"

"Definitely not. I didn't like him much."

"So you never liked him? Never wanted to kiss him?" Lucy winked, "Come on. I know my little brother was a stud in high school."

I smiled and blushed again, "Actually we did kiss once. But I'd just broken up with my boyfriend so I started crying and ran away."

Lucy's jaw dropped, "You're kidding!"

"Nope." I then proceeded to wallow. I mean, I felt horrible but I didn't mean it personally towards Tristan."

"Good to hear." Tristan commented as he reappeared.

"Whatcha taking?" Lucy asked as she typed in my last book.

"The Stand."

"Steven King," Lucy nodded approvingly, "Good choice. Rory, you said you name is? Your total is one hundred forty nine dollars and fifteen cents."

I cringed, "Ugh. Sure. Hold on."

I dug around in my bag and came up with only a twenty and a couple singles. I handed Lucy my credit card. I wasn't even sure how much was on the account. Hopefully enough. I was very tense waiting for the credit card to be returned to me. A back checker doesn't make much and although I usually waitress on the side, I've been taking less hours lately.

Lucy handed me the credit card and a bag. With a sigh of relief I tucked the credit card away and accepted the heavy bag of books.

"Thanks a lot, Lucy. I'll definitely be back again."

"Anytime, Rory. And I look forward to seeing you. It was nice meeting you."

"You too." I smiled.

"Bye sis."

"Bye." Lucy called to Tristan, "You two be careful out there! It's snowing pretty hard!"

"We will!" Tristan called back as he held the door open for me.

We headed down the street in a semi comfortable silence until he steered me towards a quaint looking coffee shop, "This okay?"

"If there's coffee, it's better than okay." I told him.

He laughed. God, if I thought his smile was good, his laugh is even better! He has such an amazing laugh!

He held the door open again, such a gentleman and let me choose a table before pulling out my chair for me.

"Thank you." I waited until he sat down across from me before continuing. "You really have changed, Tristan. I can tell already."

Another brilliant smile, "Thank you. It means a lot coming from you especially."

I grinned.

"You've changed too, you know?"

I stopped taking my coat off halfway through. "What are you talking about? I've barely changed."

He shook his head, "No. You've definitely changed."

"How so?" I asked.

He seemed like he was debating telling me or not when a waitress came over and asked what we would like. Tristan looked at me expectantly waiting for me to order. I glanced at the one page menu in front of me and managed to decide quickly.

"Could I get some coffee, a blueberry muffin and one of those yummy looking chocolate chip cookies over there?" I pointed towards a glass case beside the counter.

"Decaf or regular?"

"Regular please."

"And for you?"

Tristan hadn't even looked at his menu but he knew what he wanted. He's obviously been here before. "Regular coffee with a fourth decaf and a bit of skim milk please. And a slice of white chocolate cheesecake please."

"Sure." The waitress wandered off and Tristan looked back to me.

His eyes met mine directly and I tried hard not to blink and break the spell I seemed to have fallen under. His eyes were so amazing. A bright blue, crystal clear. His eyelashes were long. I was extremely jealous of them.

"So?" I asked again, not willing to drop the subject.

He chucked. I'd always loved his laugh. Low and deep. But fun. Especially when he was just being himself and laughing out loud without holding back. I think I'd only heard that one once. And it wasn't because of me. He was with a friend of his and I was standing nearby.

"Well," He began, "You definitely look different. I mean you hair is gorgeous and you've definitely matured."

I touched my new hairstyle. It was a dark brown and about shoulder length. I had bangs off to one side and I'd worn it curly today. It was probably windblown but still the same. Then I subconsciously glanced down at my body which I guess has matured. I'm a bit curvier. I look more like a woman than a little girl but I'm still petite.

"And you're happy. I can tell. You didn't always seem happy at Chilton. I know you didn't like it there but you seem happy now. I like happy you."

I grinned, "Thanks. I like happy me too."

"Here you go." The waitress deposited our food and coffee on the table and I smiled up at her.

"Thank you. You're an angel." I slid my coffee cup towards me and pulled it up to my lips.

The waitress smiled and left a check on the table. Tristan's hand shot out. So did mine but I was a second too late.

"My treat." He insisted.

I shook my head and set my cup back down to argue with him fairly, "No way. I'm paying."

"Not a chance, Ror. Really."

I sighed." Fine, fine."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you." I replied.

"So, tell me what you've been up to." Tristan invited.

As a reflex, my head tilted immediately to one side and I saw Tristan smile at the action. I righted myself and pondered the invitation.

"Well, I work for the New York Standard. I'm a back checker." I began, "And, I have a cute little apartment over near work and I got a dog. She's an adorable little Shih Tzu. White with brown ears and one brown paw. I named her Mocha. And, um, I don't know. That's about it."

I chose purposely not to tell him about Todd. I don't know why but I had a sneaking suspicion that if Tristan knew I had a boyfriend, he wouldn't stick around too much longer. Besides, there wasn't really much to tell.

"Well, whatever it is, it's working. You seem happy."

"You do too. What's doing it for you?"

"Oh I don't know. Actually, I'm a teacher." I raised my eyebrows in surprise and he laughed, "I know, right? Me? A teacher? But I love it. I teach United States History, American Government and Business Law at a high school. The kids are really great. I can't wait to get there every morning."

"Really? How many of each class do you teach? And for like what grades? Is it that organized like Chilton was or no?"

"Well," Tristan began slowly, "It's a public school, so that's different from Chilton, definitely. But first and second hour I teach U.S. history to sophomores. Third, fourth, and sixth I have seniors and juniors for American Government and fifth and seventh hour I have sophomores, juniors, and seniors for business law."

"I always wanted to take business law." I admitted wistfully, taking another bite of my muffin.

"Actually, every semester, we do a mock trial. Some of the parents come and watch. You could come if you wanted. We're doing it in about two weeks."

"Wow." I blinked in surprise at the invitation, "Thank you. I might do that if I can get out of work."

"Tuesday, December 14th. We start at 9 in the morning. We actually got permission this year to borrow a real court room at the courthouse across town. They'll have some signs posted. It should be easy to find."

"Wow," I said again, "I may just have to stop by."

"Do that." Tristan smiled and I glanced down. There were only crumbs left on both of our plates and drops of coffee in our cups. The snowstorm outside was dieing down leaving only a slushy mix of snow and debris on the sidewalks and street.

"Well," I decided, "I should probably get going."

"Okay. You okay getting home? It's starting to get dark."

I nodded, glancing outside again. "I'll be fine, Tristan. Thank you. It was really good seeing you."

"You too, Rory."

"And you didn't call me Mary once." I added with a playful smile.

Tristan laughed, "Hmm. Maybe I'll have to restart that nickname. I'm sure you've changed but I like having a special nickname for you."

I giggled, possibly a nervous giggle, I wasn't quite sure. "Well, bye, Tristan."

I headed for the door, waving a hand over my shoulder as Tristan headed towards the counter to pay.  
"Bye Mary!" I heard him call after me and I left with a smile on my face.

I was frozen by the time I'd gotten home, having chosen to walk and take the subway rather than find a cab and spend a lot of money. I kicked off my damp clothes and changed into my plaid flannel pajama pants and a long sleeved tee-shirt. It was December 2nd and I was already sick of snow. Of course, I would never tell Lorelai that, she would freak. But I really was sick of snow. At least New York City snow. Instead of being white and sparkly, it was brown and slushy, covering the sidewalks and filling the gutters.

I laid all my new books out on the table and chose to start with Oliver Twist. I couldn't help but think of Jess for a minute, but only a moment. My mind soon settled back on the amazing evening I'd spent with Tristan as I turned the pages of one of my favorite stories.

And later that night, when my phone rang, and the caller ID read 'Mascovitz, Todd', for some reason, unknown to me, I ignored the call and just kept reading, not wanting to talk or return to real life. I wanted to be stuck in my mind with Tristan or in the book with Oliver and Dodger. Not in real life with Todd or Lorelai. Not now. Not today.

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AN: So, please let me know what you think. There's nothing like a good review to boost my confidence and encourage me to write another chapter! Constructive criticism is welcome but don't be mean about it, please! Thanks a lot! I'd really appreciate it!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Morning, Rory." I heard a voice whisper in my ear. I spun my chair around to face Todd.

"Morning." I echoed.

"So, guess what happened last night?" Todd asked giddily.

"What?" I asked with interest.

"Okay, so I went out with James and Chris to that new sports bar..." He began, but his voice soon trailed off as I was a bit distracted. It was December 14th and of course, I remembered that it was the day of Tristan's class's mock trial. It was only seven thirty. I had plenty of time to make it there, and I was ahead on my work for once, but I was a little nervous about going.

Since the day we'd re-met and had coffee, I hadn't been back to Hole in the Wall or anywhere near there, afraid that Tristan would be there and that he wouldn't want to see me. Of course, I wouldn't have to wonder, if I hadn't forgotten to exchange numbers with him so we could keep in touch. Yes, stupid me, I know. Then again, maybe he doesn't really want to stay in touch. But maybe he does. Would he have invited me to his mock trial if he didn't really want to see me again?

I argued inwardly with myself before deciding to sneak into the back at the mock trial, watch for a while and see how Tristan acted. If I didn't want to see him, I could just leave before it was over. If I did, I could stay and say hello. Simple as that. I shook myself back to reality and caught the end of Todd's story.

"Can you _believe_ that? My college girlfriend in the same bar as _me_! And living in New York again to top it all off! It was crazy. We're meeting for lunch today. You don't mind, do you?" He looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer or possibly a fuss.

"Nope." I answered, not missing a beat. "Hey, I have to go talk to Brady. I'll catch you later." I said getting up quickly.

"_Okay_." Todd looked confused, either over my lack of response to his lunch with his ex-girlfriend or my sudden departure to see our boss.

When I got to Brady's office, I was ushered in almost right away and he offered me a seat. I explained to him that a friend invited me to see his class's mock trial and I really wanted to go. I offered to cover it and take notes. Maybe use it as a human interest piece and I'd write the article. He looked like he was about to relent, so I threw in how I was ahead of schedule on my work. That must have done it cause soon after, I saw him nodding.

"Thank you so much, Brady." I gushed. He insisted we call him by his first name.

"Sure, Rory. Get going now. It's already eight." He said, trying to sound gruff.

"Thanks! Bye!" I hurried towards the door.

"Get interviews or quotes from participants or the audience if you can!" Brady called after me.

I waved a hand over my shoulder to signal that I'd heard him. I grabbed my quote and bag from my cubicle, making sure my tape recorder and notebook were inside, along with several working pens and a digital camera. I took a cab to the court house and just as Tristan had said, there were signs directing me where to go. It was only ten to nine so I took the time to find a ladies room, to fix my hair and makeup. Even if I didn't end up staying to see Tristan, I wanted to look my best. My hair was straight today so it appeared longer than the day Tristan saw me. I smoothed my long, green, Henley sweater down over my black, straight-legged, jeans, that I had tucked into black, knee high boots. With a sigh, I grabbed my bag, hung my coat over my arm and snuck into the back of the courtroom just as they began. Tristan talked for a minute, gesturing around at the students in their positions, explaining what was going to be occurring and I rapidly took notes on what he was saying. When I finally glanced up for a second, he was looking at me, a familiar smile on his face and in his eyes. I smiled and he paused for a moment.

"Well, let's get started. Judge, you may begin." He turned it over to the students from there and took a seat in the front row.

I was completely enthralled in the mock trial for the next two and a half hours until a verdict was reached and a sentence was delivered. I sat, gaping at the students in front of me, impressed with their knowledge and even more with Tristan for teaching them all of it. People began to mill around the room and I leapt up to catch a few of the students and parents for interviews. I had just finished a conversation with the judge and her mother when I felt a warm hand cover the small of my back.

"So, what did you think?" Tristan asked in a low voice.

As I turned to face him, I replied, "It was _amazing_. These kids are so smart and it felt so real! I felt like I was on Law and Order or Justice or Judging Amy or something! It was so cool!" I finished excitedly.

"Going to write an article on it?" He asked motioning towards the notebook in my hand.

I nodded as I replied, "If my boss thinks its article worthy. He gave me some time off so I could come."

"Do you have to go back to work right away?" He asked with a hopeful expression on his face.

"_No_. Why?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.

"I have a sub for the next couple of class periods and my business law classes won't meet today since we already had this trial. So I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch." He supplied.

"Okay." I nodded.

"And, _this_ time," He smiled warmly as he led me back to my chair to retrieve my coat, "We're not going to forget to exchange phone numbers." He winked.

I smiled, "Sounds good."

We started walking aimlessly from the courthouse.

"Where should we go?" Tristan asked me.

I shrugged, "What are you in the mood for?"

"Anything." He informed me, a very serious look on his face. I raised an eyebrow and he burst out laughing, his serious act gone.

"Find somewhere to eat lunch. I'm _starving_." He told me.

I shook my head, "No. Those poor children in _Africa_ are starving. You're just a little over hungry. Let's go." I grabbed his arm and tugged him along on the sidewalk till he lengthened his strides and sped up his pace to keep up with mine.

"I know this great taco place down the street. Do you like tacos?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Then you'll _love_ Manny's. He makes the best tacos EVER!" Tristan laughed out loud and the sound echoed through the noise-filled street. I giggled in response and pulled him down a small, well lit alley, to a door with a small sign on it that simply read, 'Manny's' and we went inside.

"Manny!" I exclaimed loudly. The restaurant was small and there was only one other person sitting inside eating.

"Rory Gilmore! Where have you been the past few weeks?" Manny yelled, matching my tone.

"Busy with work." I informed Manny. We'd been friends since I first discovered his taco's when I moved to New York two years ago.

"Apparently. In the past month, you've ordered out six times and five of the six, you've had the food delivered to you at work. Thank god you're finally here. Brad's been missing you nonstop. All he talks about is you. How he wants to marry you and you can live in his bedroom. I'll get him. You and your friend decide what you want." Manny disappeared and Tristan raised an eyebrow at me.

"We're good friends. I live off of his food. It's the best." I said, smiling cheekily.

"Recommend something." Tristan requested.

"Everything is amazing." I told him.

"You can order for me then. I trust you." He said, nudging my shoulder. I smiled at his words and actions.

"You better be hungry. I order a lot." I said, giving him a pointed look.

"I'm sure I can beat you." He challenged me. I giggled, "_You've_ never seen me eat. Are you sure you want to take me on?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can kick your butt." He said smugly. I smirked at him, a trademark I'd picked up from Jess that had come in handy over the years. "You're on."

"Good." Tristan smirked back. His smirk was absolutely adorable. Definitely better than Jess's. I may have to alter mine a bit.

"Rory!" A small voice rang out. We both turned toward the source.

Tristan smiled as a five year old boy came flying around the corner of the counter and wrapped his arms around my legs so that I couldn't move.

"Hey, Brad!" I grabbed him off my legs and pulled him up into my arms for a real hug, balancing him on my hip. "Wow, are you getting big!" I said with wide eyes, smiling down at the little boy in my arms.

"My birthday is in 6 days." He informed me with a very serious face.

"Really?" I asked in feigning surprise. In all honesty, I'd already known that and I'd already bought him a present. But _he_ didn't need to know that.

"Yes." He said, nodding his head, using the same serious tone.

"That's awesome. You'll be the coolest six year old I know." I proclaimed. He grinned at me. He noticed Tristan and turned to me with a curious look.

"This is my friend Tristan." I said in introduction. Brad looked him up and down and then stared at his face, waiting expectantly.

"Hey, Brad." Tristan said, then glanced at Brad's shirt, "So you like the power rangers?" He asked.

Brad's face instantly brightened and he smiled widely, "Yeah! I especially like the red one. He's my _favorite_! I think…" Brad launched out of my arms and onto the floor so he could talk to

Tristan who'd knelt down to Brad's level.

Manny held a piece of paper and a pencil expectantly, "You ready?" He asked me.

"I'm ordering for the both of us so yes, we are." I replied.

"Shoot." He said, pencil at the ready.

"Two soft tacos, two hard shell tacos. One chicken quesadilla, one beef. Two beef burritos and two enchiladas. An order of large nachos and two orders of large potato bites. Cheese on the side. We'll also need four churros and two chimichangas. One chicken, one beef. Two extra large sodas and that'll be it." I listed off all in one breath.

"Got it. You sure you don't want Mexican rice and refried beans also? And some tamales?" He asked.

"Yeah give us two of each of those. Thanks, Manny." I replied gratefully.

"Anytime. Grab a seat. It'll be about fifteen minutes. Brad, come help me in the kitchen." He said, motioning towards the tables.

"Okay!" Brad called back. He waved at Tristan and me and ran off to help his dad.

"He's cute." Tristan told me, coming back up to full height. Taller than me for sure.

"He is. I love him like my own." I led Tristan to my usual table, waving at the other customer on the way.

"You ever want to have kids?" He asked suddenly as we took our seats. I looked at him in surprise before I answered.

"Shouldn't I start with getting married?" I said, with a slight chuckle.

"Sure. But do you want kids someday?" He pressed.

"Yeah." I nodded. "If they're half as cute as Brad, I'd be ecstatic. How about you?"

"Someday, yeah. But like you said, marriage first would be a good idea." He said, giving a small smile.

"_Definitely_. Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked before I could rethink the question and chicken out.

Tristan shook his head, "Nope. I had a steady girlfriend for the past…oh…year and eight months, but she broke up with me when her old boyfriend got a divorce and moved back to town. It was pretty messed up. So for the past three months, I've been single. Just dating around. You know what I mean?" He said, shrugging.

"Kind of." I said cryptically.

"How about you?" He leaned forward and propped his chin on his hand and his elbow on the table. "What happened to what's his name?" He smirked. I smiled at his antics.

"Dean. We broke up when Jess moved to Stars Hollow and I liked him. We dated for a while and he just took off with no warning. In college I didn't date much till my junior year. That's when I got involved with Logan Huntzberger. We dated for two years, but it just didn't work out. We weren't right together. After that, I moved here and have basically been just dating around. But four months ago I started seeing this guy, Todd. He's the sports editor at the paper." I explained.

"Oh yeah. I _love_ that section." He exclaimed.

I smiled a little, "I can't stand it." I said, scrunching up my nose in mock disgust.

"Here's your order, Rory." Manny broke in, as he deposited two trays on our table along with the bill, which I managed to grab before Tristan could.

"_Come on_, Rory." He frowned at me.

"No way. Eat and enjoy. You paid for coffee. This is on me." I insisted, putting the bill in my pocket.

He rolled his eyes, "_Right_. Since coffee was just as expensive as all of this."

I shrugged, "Doesn't matter. Eat up."

I unwrapped a taco and bit into it. Definitely one of the best things I've ever eaten. I really do need to get in here more often. I ignored Tristan's frown for at least a minute before he gave up and grabbed some food. We ate in silence for a while. it wasn't an awkward silence either. I think we were both pretty content.

As we were finishing up our food, we talked a little more about little things. We were catching up and getting to reacquainted with each other though and that's all that mattered. Once the food was all gone, I grabbed a pen and my wallet. I grabbed a napkin from the table and scribbled my name and number on it and gave it to Tristan. He grabbed my pen, tore the napkin in half and gave me his number as well. I dropped it in my bag and went to pay.

"Bye Rory!" Brad gave me a hug.

"Bye Sweetie." I smiled at him and kissed the top of his head before sliding back into my coat.

Tristan waved at Brad as he held the door open for me. We made our way back to the sidewalk.

"I'm this way." He pointed left.

"And I'm that way." I pointed right. "So I'll see you around or something." I asked, trying not to sound too eager.

"Yep. Nice seeing you again, Rory." He said, giving me a small smile.

"You too, Tristan." I said, smiling back.

As I walked away I couldn't help feeling regret at not being able to talk more with him.. In high school Tristan had always seemed so immature and annoying, like he couldn't care less about anything. It was obvious that he'd grown up. He could carry an actual conversation and paid attention to what I had to say. For some reason my mind flashed to Todd and I bit my lip as I walked. Why was it that I just wasn't attracted to him or interested in him anymore? Was it just because I was intrigued by Tristan, getting a high school crush on him again? I hoped so. Nothing would ever evolve with Tristan and I. Todd was a good boyfriend, and no matter how much Tristan had changed, I just wasn't sure he'd changed enough to be right for me.

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AN:Thanks for all the great reviews! I appreciate the support a lot! Keep reviewing! It means a lot! Also, thanks to LoVe23 who beta'd this for me! It's better because of you! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine...not ASP's either right? Idk whose it is anymore...

Chapter 3

I glanced up at the television where Grey's Anatomy was playing. It was a rerun so I wasn't enthralled with it like usual. Mocha was settled on the couch beside me, curled up against my leg. Cold Chinese food was spread across the coffee table and I had one of my new books opened in my lap. I grabbed the remote and turned Meredith off so I could concentrate more on my book, but before I could get back into it, the phone rang.

I jumped up and answered without looking at the Caller ID first. A bad decision on my part.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Rory, dear! Hello!" The voice on the line greeted.

I rolled my eyes, once I realized who the caller was. "Hey, Grandma. How are you?"

"Oh, simply marvelous. How are you?" She asked cheerfully.

"I'm fine." I answered, wondering why she was calling.

"Just fine?" She asked suddenly.

"I'm great." I corrected myself. I could hear the pleasure in her voice and wondered what she was up to.

"Oh, good. Rory, what are you doing Friday night?" She asked, once the formalities were out of the way.

I walked over and opened my day planner, hoping for plans. No such luck. "Nothing." I admitted, trying not to sound dejected.

"_Terrific_! Richard and I are having this wonderful party and you must come. I insist." She said, cheerfully.

"What time?" I submitted easily, not wanting to cause problems.

"7 o'clock. But you can come early if you need to. And you can stay over night if the drive back is too long." She added with a hopeful tone in her voice.

I shuddered at the thought. "No. That won't be necessary, but thank you. I'll be there at seven."

"Bring a date." Grandma added.

I blinked. Todd had never encountered my family. I wondered how he would react to them and to society.

"_Okay_." I said, feeling a little less sure of myself now.

_"Wonderful_. I've got to go convince your mother to come. See you Friday, Darling!" She tittered, before hanging up.

"Bye Grandma." I said weakly, only to be left listening to the dial tone.

"Meh!" I yelled and tossed the phone back at the couch. It bounced off and landed on the floor with a clunk.

Mocha, thinking it was a game, leapt off the couch after it. She tried to grab it in her mouth but it was too big so she settled for lying on top of it. I lifted her off and took the phone back to call Todd.

"Hello?" He answered.

Mocha barked at me and jumped back onto the couch where I'd settled in again.

"Hey, Todd. It's me." I said, trying to sound confident.

"Hey, Babe! How are you?" He said happily.

"I'm okay." I answered.

"Just okay?" He asked. It was like Déjà vu! I suddenly had flashbacks of the conversation with my grandmother, and for a second, pondered the thought of them sharing a brain.

I shuddered at that thought, and quickly changed the subject. "Listen, I have a huge favor to ask you." I asked, unable to hide the hopeful tone in my voice.

"Anything for you." He said sweetly.

I smiled at how sweet he was. "Well, Friday my Grandma is having a party and I know Hartford is kind of far, but she's insisting I bring a date. And I figured who better to ask than my boyfriend." I rambled out in one breath.

There was no answer from Todd. I sighed, knowing it was a no.

"Todd?" I asked, checking to make sure that we hadn't been cut off.

"I'm really sorry, Ror. I can't. Brady's got me covering a basketball game that night. I can't miss it. It's supposed to be huge." He said immediately.

"But I need a date!" I protested.

"_Rory_," Todd sounded almost like he was lecturing me, "You know as well as I do that work comes first. Work comes before everything else including family, friends, and fun." He said seriously. She could already picture the look on his face.

I bit my lip to keep from going off on him. Personally, I thought family came before everything else but I wasn't in the mood to get in a huge fight with Todd.

"But feel free to invite someone else. Especially if your grandmother insists you have a date." He added, when I didn't respond.

I sighed, "Fine then. If work means that much to you, I will bring someone else."

"Rory, I…" He started.

"Bye." I clicked the 'Off' button before he could say anything else. At that moment, I wished that I had one of those phones where you could slam it back down, just because you were mad and leave the other person's ears ringing.

I'd buy one tomorrow. But right now, I needed a last minute date. It was already Wednesday and most people had plans for Friday. Besides that, I didn't have many male friends. I considered calling Lane to borrow her boyfriend for the night but that would bring too much trouble. I could ask if he had any friends but I wasn't about to get stuck with a stranger for a whole night, including a two hour drive to Hartford and then back.

Of course, there was Tristan. We had just become friends again and it was probably too soon to be asking favors like this from him but he was an option. _And_ he grew up in Hartford society. He would know exactly what kind of predicament I was in. I searched through my bag for his number.

"Hello?" He sounded a little distracted.

"Um, hi. Tristan?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah, who's this?" He answered.

"Rory. Rory Gilmore." I said, trying to sound a little more confident.

He laughed, "Hey, Rory Gilmore. What's up?"

"Is this a bad time?" I asked, remembering that he sounded distracted earlier.

"No," He answered easily, "I was just trying to grade some papers. But friends like you are always a welcome interruption."

"Okay. What about if they're calling to ask a favor? A huge favor that will probably end up making you miserable." I said, my face scrunching up in anticipation to his negative response.

"_Wow_. I'm not so sure if I want friends who want me to be miserable." He said, in mock seriousness.

My shoulders drooped. "Okay, well, um…"

"Rory," Tristan interrupted, "_I'm kidding_. I don't know if I'm up for it or not until you tell me what the favor is. So shoot." He said, sounding amused.

I took a deep breath, "Well, you know my grandparents, right?"

"Yes."

"My grandma is having a party on Friday and she wants me there with a date. And I called Todd but he has to work and work comes first with him so he can't do it. But he wants me to ask someone else. But the thing is, I don't have a lot of male friends. So um, would you do it?" I rambled.

"Woah. You sure talk fast when you're upset." He said, laughing lightly.

"Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see it.

He laughed, "_No_. It's not an insult, and _yes_, I can be your date for the party. Anything for a friend. Besides, you'll get me away from grading these papers all weekend."

"There is no up side to this. Don't try and make there be an up side. I'm going to be perfectly honest, this night will probably make us both miserable." I said, giving him the opportunity to back out.

"I can take it. I've attended way more Hartford society parties than you have." He said somewhat cynically.

I sighed, "If you're sure then I would really appreciate it."

"What time do we need to leave?" He asked her, giving her his answer.

"Um. It starts around seven so probably five. I don't want to be _too_ prompt." I said, only half joking.

Tristan laughed, "Oh, Emily will love that. I'll pick you up around quarter to five then?"

"You have a car?" I asked.

He laughed again.

"Sorry." I apologized, "You don't mind driving? I can pay you for gas."

"Don't worry about it. See you Friday." He said, laughter still clear in his voice.

"Bye." I hung up and groaned. Why did I always embarrass myself when it came to Tristan?

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Friday evening came and I found myself rushing around my apartment trying to get ready before Tristan arrived. I'd gotten off of work at four and by the time I'd gotten back to my apartment, it was four thirty, leaving me with fifteen minutes to prepare.

I showered quickly and had just finished up blow drying my hair when there was a knock at the door. I groaned loudly. I was only in my bathrobe but I hurried to open it. I peered through the peep hole to make sure it was Tristan.

He was standing expectantly, in a nice black suit with a crisp white shirt. He wasn't exactly clean shaven but he was groomed nicely and looked amazing. More amazing than usual.

I opened the door. "Hey, come on in. Sorry but I got off work late. I'm not ready."

"Go ahead and finish up." He said, smirking.

"Duh." I rolled my eyes. "Make yourself at home. Stereo's there, TV's there, kitchen's there. Help yourself to anything you need."

I went back to the bedroom to get dressed. When I emerged, Tristan was standing in front of my bookshelf containing my CD and movie collections. I went into the bathroom but left the door open so we could talk while I put up my hair and put on my makeup.

"_Tenacious D_? I never imagined you'd be a Tenacious D kind of girl, Mare." He called out, clearly mocking her.

I scoffed, "Come on! Tenacious D is amazing. I _love_ Jack Black."

I heard a burst of laughter and peered around the doorframe to see Tristan holding another CD in his hand. It was a burned CD but I recognized it instantly as a CD Lane had burned for me as a joke. It was filled with songs that could be consider "Dirty."

"Put that back." I told him.

"I never imagined you as the kind of girl to listen to this either. I guess you're not such a Mary." He said, suggestively

"That's not mine." I scoffed.

"Yeah right." He said, clearly not believing me.

I sighed and ducked back in the bathroom, "_Okay_. It is. But Lane burned it for me as a joke. I don't listen to it."

Tristan ignored me, "Look at this playlist! Nine Inch Nails with Closer. And, oh my god." He said, laughing as he read the rest of the artists and songs.

"Put it back!" I ordered, leaving the room to glare at Tristan until he did.

He kept laughing as he continued roaming my collection. He read the artists out loud as he went along.

"Panic! at the Disco? Wow. _And_, The Cure. The Clash. Metallica. Fall Out Boy. Dashboard

Confessional. Pink Spiders. Story of the Year. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. AFI. Thirty Second to Mars. Wow, what kind of order are these in?" He said, incredulously.

"As of now? No order. I haven't gotten to it yet. Leave my music alone." I called out from the bathroom.

"Okay." He said quickly. Almost too quickly. He agreed too easily. I knew he wasn't done.

"Wow. Look at all these chick flicks." He said in awe.

So he'd moved on to my DVD's. Of course.

"Uptown Girls, A Walk to Remember, Serendipity, Tristan and Isolde. Tristan, huh? Bet you wished you were Isolde." He said, wagging his eyebrows at me, as I stuck my head out of the bathroom to answer him.

"Actually," I said as I leaned my head out. "I did. Tristan is very good looking in that movie. However, he reminds me nothing of you. So don't flatter yourself."

Tristan only laughed and kept going, "Pirates of the Caribbean. Good taste."

"Yeah, well, Jack Sparrow is hot." I replied, only half jokingly.

"What about Orlando Bloom? Not a fan?" He asked, in mock interest.

"He's not a pirate in the movie." I shrugged.

"Got a thing for pirates, Mare? I'll have to remember that when Halloween rolls around next year." He smirked.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes, securing the last bobby pin. I walked into the other room, grabbed Tristan by the shoulders and guided him towards the couch. Mocha opened one eye and glanced lazily at us as I pushed Tristan down into a sitting position.

"What?" He asked, his eyes, shining with amusement.

"No more making fun of my movies and music. I'm going to finish my makeup and we can go. Until then, watch TV." I reprimanded, shaking my finger at him.

I handed Tristan the remote.

"TiVo. Wow, pricey." I heard him say as I walked away.

I shrugged, "But worth it. Plus my grandparents insisted on paying for it. Since I don't make that much money and I waste it all on clothes, books, movies, CD's and tons of food, I let them take care of my TiVo needs."

I heard another chuckle but tried to ignore it. At this point, I just wanted to finish my makeup and get him out of here as soon as possible. We were running late enough as it was.

"So you're a Grey's fan, huh?" He called out, clearly checking my TiVo list.

"Going through my recorded shows, huh?" I asked, calling him on it.

"Yep." He admitted easily and I heard the blooping noises as he kept going down the list.

"Grey's Anatomy. Family Guy. Futurama. Seinfeld. King of Queens. Wow. You like the good stuff don't you." He commented, sounding impressed.

"Are you mocking me?" I asked, as I leaned out once again.

"Nope. I love Family Guy. And Seinfeld doesn't suck either." He answered, honestly.

"Oh, I'm flattered." I teased back.

I heard more blooping and another burst of laughter.

"Oh God. You're a Law and Order addict. And Justice." He laughed.

"You teach business law. You should like those shows."

"Full House? How old are you again?" Again, still mocking.

"Full House is a classic!" I defended.

"And how many Lifetime movies do you need recorded?"

"It's only till I burn them onto DVD's!" I replied.

"Oh nice." He said. I could hear him rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I'm cheap." I called out, as I carefully put on my mascara.

I heard another laugh and rolled my eyes.

"Not like _that_!" I called out, realizing why he was laughing..

"_Sure_. I'll be sure to give you a call next time I'm lonely." I could hear the leer in his voice.

"Okay." I grabbed my purse from the hallway floor and turned off the TV. "Let's go before you

start making fun of my books."

"You have books in here? Where?" He said, turning around pretending to look.

I grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the door, stopping only to grab my coat and keys. Soon enough we were on our way to Hartford. Luckily, Tristan granted me control of the radio. Though he continued to mock my choices the whole way. Unfortunately for me, he didn't have any CD's in his car that I could mock in return. I would find out what he liked eventually. He probably had horrible taste in music. Then we'd be even.

We pulled into my grandparent's already crowded driveway and Tristan hurried around to open my door for me. I smiled up at him. "Thank you."

"Of course. Watch your step. It's slippery." He said, as he took my hand to help me out of the car. Tristan held out his arm and I slipped my hand in the crook of his elbow and let him lead me towards the door.

"Rory!" Grandma was right there the moment we got inside and handed our coats to the maid.

"Hi Grandma. This is Tristan DuGrey. Tristan, my grandmother." I said, as I introduced the two.

"Oh Rory," Grandma shook her head, "I know Tristan. He's a marvelous choice for a date. I approve. Now, Tristan, how are you?" She said, smiling.

"I'm wonderful, Emily. How are you?" He greeted.

"Oh, I'm just as wonderful." Grandma said, almost giddily. I just stood in awe as I watched the exchange.

"This is a lovely party." He complimented her, glancing around the room.

Grandma blushed, "Thank you! Now, Rory, Lorelai and Christopher are around here somewhere. Unfortunately, they opted to be a disturbance and bring Gigi and Aaron. Go find them."

"Okay. Bye Grandma." I said with a smile.

"Nice seeing you again, Emily." Tristan said before once again, offering his arm.

"Have fun!" Grandma called after us.

I shuddered playfully as we started towards the crowd, "Sorry about this."

Tristan chuckled good naturedly, "Don't worry about it. I'm used to this. And knowing what should be done now, I say we find the bar."

"Good idea." I agreed.

We managed to get through the crowd of people and got ourselves some drinks. Unfortunately, there was only champagne and nothing stronger. But it was better than nothing.

"You okay?" Tristan asked softly.

I nodded slowly. "This just isn't my type of atmosphere. You know?"

"Mine either. But it's not so bad. And we don't have to stay very long." He said with a shrug.

"Okay. Oh, there's mom." I exclaimed, pointing her out.

Mom was sitting in a chair off to the side of the room with Gigi beside her and Aaron in her lap. She looked bored to death.

"Go say hi." He said as he nudged me towards her.

"Come with me. I'll introduce you." I offered.

"_Okay_." Tristan looked a bit unsure. He's probably heard stories. But he followed me anyways.

"Mom!" I exclaimed.

"Rory!" Mom set Aaron on the floor and pushed herself out of the chair. The bump of her stomach was barely noticeable but it was there.

"How are you?" I asked as we hugged. I picked up my two year old little brother and kissed Gigi on the cheek.

"As well as can be expected. I hate being pregnant. Tell your dad to build an addition to the house so we can have separate bedrooms." She said seriously.

I giggled, "Mom, this is Tristan DuGrey."

Mom looked Tristan up and down as he extended his hand. She shook it but continued studying him.

"_Mom_." I hissed.

"Sorry." She looked back to me. "Is he your date? What happened to Todd?"

I shrugged. "Work comes first."

Mom's eyes narrowed. She did like Todd but I knew she didn't always agree with him and his ideas about life.

"It's no problem. Tristan and I ran into each other at a bookstore a few weeks back and we had coffee. About a week ago I took him to Manny's for tacos and I figured I might as well torture him with a night at the Gilmore's."

Mom nodded. "It is torture. But seriously, watch out for her." She glared at Tristan.

He nodded slowly, his eyes wide.

"Hey, Ror!"

I turned as Dad enveloped me in a hug. "Hey!"

"How are you? Who's your date? What happened to Todd?" He asked, looking at Tristan.

"Work comes first." Mom spat out, her eyes fiery again.

Dad smiled a little and helped her back into her chair. "Relax, Lor. He'll get the hang of it. And if he doesn't I'll make sure to have a chat with him. Don't worry."

Mom smiled wickedly.

"Mom. Dad, please." I plead.

"Sorry, Ror. We know you can handle your own life." Dad told me.

"Yes. I can." I rolled my eyes, "Oh, this is Tristan DuGrey."

"Nice to meet you, Sir." Tristan held out his hand again.

Dad shook it. "Are you related to Janlan?"

Tristan nodded, "He's my grandfather."

"I've known Janlan for quite some time. He and my father were friends." Chris said amicably.

Tristan just nodded and smiled looking slightly uncomfortable talking about his family. I decided it was time for a save.

"Tristan, let's get some refills on our drinks." I suggested.

"I want a drink." Mom complained.

Dad chuckled, "Sorry, Lor. Not until the baby is born." Mom groaned.

"We'll catch you later." I added and grabbed Tristan's wrist, tugging him towards the bar.

"I'm so sorry about that." I apologized, turning to him once we reached the bar.

"No. It's fine. I like your parents." He said honestly.

"They're better than most." I agreed with a smile. "More champagne please."

"Rory!" A voice rang out from behind me. I swallowed hard and threw back my champagne in

one gulp, holding out my glass for another.

Tristan gave me a funny look but I would need another few drinks to get through this next encounter. I had to be on my game to protect Tristan from attack.

"How are you, Love?" Finn asked, as he came up behind me.

I turned and smiled widely, "Finn! Logan! Colin! Rosemary! How are you?"

Rosemary gave me a tight, obviously fake smile, "I'm going to find Juliet."

Logan was glaring at me and Colin had the same expression he always had on his face. Finn was the only one who seemed to be smiling genuinely but I didn't care.

"I'm great! Who's this, Doll?" Finn was the only one speaking but that was probably for the best. I only hoped it would stay that way.

"Tristan DuGrey. Tristan, this is Finn Morgan, Logan Huntzberger, and Colin McCrae."

After the introductions, my odd behavior seemed to click in Tristan's mind as he stepped up to make sure Logan didn't step out of line.

"Nice to meet you." Tristan nodded and smiled politely but it was by no means friendly.

"Your new boyfriend?" Logan asked suddenly.

Colin jumped in the second Logan started the attack, "Seems to me he looks a lot like Logan. In fact, I've heard about him. He was the Logan of Chilton. Coincidence?"

I opened my mouth to respond but Logan cut me off.

"Don't bother her Colin. She just doesn't recognize a jackass when he's standing right in front of her. Remember?" He leered.

I cringed remembering my breakup speech that turned into a bitter fight. I did scream that at him right before I left.

"Well," I gave Logan a sugary sweet smile, "I can recognize the one standing in front of me right now. Or rather, two. So I'd say my judgment has improved since college."

Logan scoffed, "Finn doesn't get included? What? You want him in your bed or something? Since you're such a whore."

"Funny, _I_ wasn't the one who cheated all the time, Logan. _That_ was you." I was using my overly friendly tone, trying to act happy.

Logan's eyes darkened. "Maybe if you were better in…"

"That's enough!" Finn stepped in between us. "We're going to ruin the party and I don't want to get on Emily Gilmore's bad side." He admonished.

"This isn't over." Logan glared at me.

"Oh it was over when I walked out the door, Logan. Just because you aren't over me doesn't mean that this isn't over." I responded, unable to help myself.

"You're such a little slut." He hissed.

Tristan stepped towards Logan suddenly and Logan took a quick step backwards. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Even Finn and Colin looked startled.

"Just leave her the hell alone. She didn't do anything to you, man. She's just trying to move on. If you can't let it go, leave her out of it. And…" Tristan's voice lowered and even scared me a bit, "If you _ever _call her anything like that again, you're going to find yourself in a lot of pain."

Logan just stared up at Tristan as Tristan stepped back towards me and took my arm, "Ready to go, Rory?"

"Yes, please. Bye Finn." I said feeling tired suddenly.

Finn stepped towards me and leaned down to me ear, "Sorry, Doll. Call me sometime, okay?"

I nodded and kept walking. We grabbed our coats from the closet and I could hear Logan complaining behind us as we headed outside.

"Thank you so much, Tristan. I mean, I could have handled it but that was much faster. And seriously, I'm really sorry. Logan is a jerk." I said, sadly.

Tristan shook his head as he opened the car door for me, "Don't worry about it. I knew guys like him."

I giggled as Tristan got in on his side and we pulled out of the driveway and started back to New York.

"All I'm saying, is that I owe you." I said, gratefully.

Tristan glanced at me as we stopped at a red light. His face was tinted a slight red color and he smiled. Time seemed to stop and I was tempted to lean in but something stopped me.

"Okay. I'll let you know when you need to pay up." He answered, jokingly.

"You better." I said seriously.

"Don't worry about it, Rory. Really." He said, shaking off my comment.

"I won't, I swear. Now, can I please turn on the radio?" I whined.

"Go for it." Tristan smiled and I smiled back, leaning forward to turn up the volume for the drive home.

* * *

AN: Hopefully you liked this chapter! Let me know with a review! Or send me some constructive comments! I appreciate all the reviews I get! They keep me going! Thanks guys! And thanks to LoVe23 for betaing this for me! I appreciate it!

Mellie


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own Gilmore Girls or anything. I don't own Bring It or Cobra Starship either. (sorry, the songs been stuck in my head for days so I had to stick it in here. And actually, it ended up in here twice!)

AN: I'm a bit vague on the location of places and buildings in this story because I know nothing about New York and don't want to mess anything up. Hopefully it doesn't seem random or confusing!

Chapter 4

I set my laptop on the coffee table and rubbed my temples. I closed my eyes and leaned back. I promised myself it would only be for a minute but the next thing I knew I was waking up to _Bring It_ by _Cobra Starship_. I sat up groggily and reached for my cell phone.

"'Lo?" I rasped. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Hello?"

"Rory? Is this a bad time? Did I wake you?" A slightly familiar voice came over the phone.

"Um, I guess you did. What time is it? Hey, who is this?" I was more awake now. Awake enough to see that it was dark outside and realize I had fallen asleep doing work again.

"Oh, sorry. This is Tristan and it's about 8:30." He said.

"Oh." I paused. "What's up?"

"You know how you said you owe me for last weekend?" He asked cautiously.

I nodded, forgetting he couldn't see me, before speaking, "_Yeah_. Why?" I asked.

"I figured I would subject you to a night out with my friends this weekend." He said. I couldn't see him, but I could tell he was cringing, in anticipation that I would say no.

I reached behind my head and rubbed my neck. I had a horrible kink from sleeping on the couch again. "Okay." Thinking it wasn't a bad idea. Besides, I owed him.

"_Okay_?" Tristan sounded surprised.

"Yeah. I owe you right?" I said voicing my earlier thoughts. Besides, how bad is a night out with your friends going to be? It's better than subjecting you to my entire family and Hartford society." I scoffed.

"Nah." Tristan drawled, "My friends can be asses when that want to be. Hmmm, I might just make sure they want to be." He added with a mischievous tone.

I laughed, "I can handle it."

"Okay then. So tomorrow…can you meet us around six?" He asked.

"Sure, where?" I agreed grabbing a pencil from the table and an unused napkin from my dinner earlier that evening.

"At Buffalo Wild Wings. It's only a few blocks up from Hole in the Wall, my sister's bookstore. You know where I mean?"

"Yeah. See you at six o'clock then." I said smiling.

"Okay. G'night, Rory."

"Night."

I hung up the phone and leaned my head back against the couch again. It had been such a weird week. I still hadn't talked to Todd since our fight last Wednesday. Today was Friday, and oddly enough, I wasn't upset. He tried to call twice and then stopped. I didn't call him, or answer the phone when he called.

Then at our staff meeting we avoided eye contact and didn't cross paths at all. It was definitely weird behavior for a couple but I was still upset with him and in my opinion, it was reasonable to be upset. Family should come before work. _Always_. Not the other way around. That's what mom taught me and that's what I firmly believe.

I sighed loudly and hit the speed dial for home. I wanted to talk to mom about this.

"Crap shack." Mom sighed into the phone.

"Hey mom." I sighed back.

"Hey sweets!" Mom perked up quite a bit. "What's going on?" She asked, noticing the tone in my voice.

"Not too much. I just wanted to talk." I said, sighing once again.

"Good. I love talking. Speaking of talking…have you talked to Todd yet?" She asked, smoothly throwing 'Todd' into the conversation.

I'd told mom about our disagreement on Tuesday so she knew we weren't speaking. "Nope." I said simply.

"You go, Girl!" Mom cheered honestly.

"Yeah, we'll have to talk at some point but I'm just not in the mood." I whined immaturely.

"Look babe, I like Todd. Think about it…if you can go over a week without speaking to your boyfriend _and_ he thinks work comes before anything or anyone else…then I think you should find a new boyfriend. That's not who I want you with." She said seriously.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "I know. I know."

"I'm serious, Rory. Hear me out ok?" She asked. When I didn't respond, she continued. "Picture it. You and Todd get married have two half-gorgeous kids and he spends all his time at work. Your kids call the mailman daddy and you're miserable. Is that what you really want?" She asked.

"Are you saying I should marry the mailman?" I responded, trying to avoid the question.

"No. Come on, Rory." Mom whined, "I'm serious here! That's not even right."

I sighed again, "Look, I know, okay? I'll figure it out."

"Fine." Mom huffed.

"But for now, can you help me?" I whined.

"With what? Since you don't want my help with relationships and all I'm good at is relationships and beauty what good am I to you?" She ranted.

"Beauty." I informed her.

"What about it?" Mom asked a bit more cheerfully.

"What would one wear to go out with a male friend who's trying to get her back for making him spend time at a lame society party, by hanging out with his friends." I stated, followed by another sigh.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Buffalo Wild Wings and then who knows." I responded.

"Well, be casual but look gorgeous of course. I'll ponder your wardrobe and call you back. When are you going?" She asked. I could already hear the gears grinding as she contemplated my apparel for my outing with Tristan.

"Tomorrow at six." I answered.

"Well then, you barely have time after work to get ready and leave again! Call me on your lunch break and I'll tell you what I decided." She said in a businesslike manner.

"Okay, thanks mom. I'm sorry for getting irritated with you. I know you were just trying to help." I apologized.

"It's okay babe. I'm crabby too. I love you okay?" She conceded.

"I love you too. Night, Mom." I said smiling.

"Night sweets."

I hung up and got up to go to bed. I hit the lightswitch on my way to my room sending the apartment into darkness. I didn't bother changing or washing my face. I just slipped under the covers and was gone within minutes.

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I stepped out of the cab, the next night at ten to six. Mom helped me decide on wearing my slightly flared blue jeans, black Dashboard Confessional tee shirt and black converse hightops. I wore my hair straight and left it down. I leaned in the window to pay the cabby and when I turned around, Tristan was standing beside me.

"Hey!" I greeted him.

"Hey, are you ready for it?" He asked, offering his arm.

"Come on bring it." I told him confidently.

"Cobra Starship. Wow. Impressive." He said appreciatively.

"I am impressive. Thank you." I said smugly, sticking my nose up in the air.

Tristan smiled. "Let's go." He said, dragging me along.

He held open the door for me and scanned the crowded restaurant. He must have spotted who he was looking for because he nodded for me to follow and led me to a half circle booth.

"Hey guys." Tristan said and motioned for them to slide over. He slid in and made room for me beside him. I slid in, thankful I didn't have a purse to store somewhere in the full booth.

Instead I'd put my money, cell phone, credit card and lip gloss in my pocket.

"This is Rory. Rory, this is Chuck, Dan, Sarah, and Nick." Tristan said, pointing to the people sitting around the table.

We all exchanged pleasantries and I surveyed the group while trying to look at a menu like they were all doing.

Chuck was fairly average. He reminded me of a much shorter Dean. At least in looks. Dan was tall, taller than Tristan and he had slightly longer, curly hair. Sarah was a beautiful blonde, tall and skinny. The perfect model stereotype. Last there was Nick who seemed average also but with reddish hair that made him stand out in a room.

"So, Rory, what do you do for a living?" Sarah asked me as she set her menu down.

I quickly decided on the shrimp and turned to answer her. "Right now I'm a fact checker but I have a few interviews for some better jobs coming up. How about yourself?" I asked politely.

"Oh me? I'm a model." She said, dismissively.

Knew it. I sucked in a breath to keep from saying something snide about her. What was this? I didn't even know her and I was hating her? Was this why Tristan said tonight would be payback?

"You just going to ask Sarah what she does or are you going to ask the rest of us too?" Chuck asked suddenly, breaking me of my thoughts.

I blinked. His tone of voice didn't seem very friendly. Maybe Tristan did tell them to be mean to me to make it rough or something. I was determined not to let any of them get to me.

"Well, I was just asking Sarah. But you guys can tell me what you do too if you'd like." I said, not backing down from his tone.

Chuck's eyes narrowed as if he was trying to decipher what meaning lay behind my words. "I'm a musician." He finally answered.

"So's my friend Lane." I replied.

"What kind of name is Lane?" Chuck scoffed and I glared at him instantly on the defensive.

"What kind of name is Chuck?" I scoffed back.

Tristan laughed. Not his normal friendly laugh. A nervous laugh. "Okay then. So what's new with you guys?" He asked, trying to diffuse the situation.

He shot Chuck a look and Chuck only stared at him and shot me another glare before turning his body towards the others and away from me. Very mature.

Tristan turned his head and leaned down towards me so no one else would hear him whispering. "He doesn't mean anything by it. That's just how Chuck is. I'm sorry."

I slumped back against the back of the booth. "You didn't do anything. Just let him know that he can say whatever he wants about me but if he brings my family or friend into this, he's going to get it." I whispered back defiantly.

Tristan smiled. An odd look entered his eyes. Not odd as in bad or creepy or anything. Just a friendly look that I couldn't seem to figure out. I smiled back but I probably looked confused so Tristan turned back to his friends.

The rest of dinner didn't go any better. First Sarah went on and on about modeling and how hot she thought she was, and how many guys had asked her out today. Then Dan started bashing journalism. If that wasn't enough, he also began to bash my paper in particular. The best part was when Chuck started railing on female musicians, shooting a meaningful look in my direction.

Nick remained a neutral party and Tristan seemed uncomfortable in this atmosphere, more uncomfortable than he had seemed at my grandmother's party. I had a feeling this was not the payback he was expecting.

"All I'm saying," Chuck continued, "Is that if a female is going to be a musician is that she should be singing back up or being a pop star or something. Chicks aren't meant for rock groups." He finished smugly.

I glared at him and couldn't hold my tongue anymore. "You're just bitter because there's girls out there who are better musicians than you and you know you could never measure up."

Chuck glared and opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off again.

"_You_ are a jerk. You don't even know my friend but because you've decided you don't like me, you've chosen to rail on her all night long. You should just mind your own business. So screw you." I stood up. "Thank you for inviting me, Tristan. This night's been _super fun_." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

I threw down some money on the table. "Use the change or leave it as a tip. I don't care."

Looking only at Tristan, I nodded my goodbye and walked out. I stepped into the street and hailed the first cab I saw. I opened the door and suddenly a hand was wrapped around my arm. I whipped around and saw Tristan staring at me sadly.

"Share a cab?" He asked cautiously.

"You live across town." I scoffed, still upset from what happened inside.

"I don't mind a detour." He shrugged.

I sighed, still exasperated, "Fine."

I got in and slid across the backseat to make room for Tristan.

We drove for a while before he spoke. "Look, I'm sorry about that okay? I didn't know Chuck was going to be like that. I didn't even ask the guys to give you a hard time. They were way out of line, okay?" He said, turning to me with a hopeful look in his eye.

"Fine." I said, crossing my arms.

"Ror." He sighed, "Don't be like that."

"I said fine." I answered again, unable to hide my agitation.

"I can tell you're still pissed. I know that I don't know you very well, but anyone could tell that you're still pissed." He said, giving me a pointed look.

"It's not you and your friends, Tristan. So don't worry about it." I admitted, my body relaxing a bit.

Tristan blinked and leaned towards me to make eye contact. "What's going on? Talk to me."

I sighed, "I haven't talked to Todd since last Wednesday. Not this past Wednesday but over a week ago. Mom hates him because he thinks work comes first and she wants me to break up with him." I said, letting out a deep breath. It felt good to let it all out.

"Do _you_ want to break up with him?" He asked, not breaking eye contact.

I sighed again. "I think I do actually. It's weird. All of a sudden I just have no romantic feelings towards him. Purely platonic."

Tristan leaned back. "It'll be okay you know." He said softly.

"Thanks." I replied, giving him a small smile.

We pulled up to my apartment and I looked over at him. "You want to come up for coffee or something?" I asked shyly.

He just looked at me for a minute and then nodded. "Okay. Sure. I owe _you_ now for that miserable evening anyways right?" He asked, smirking.

"Nope. _That_ was payback. We're even." I laughed as I paid the cabby and we headed upstairs. When the elevator reached my floor I turned towards my apartment and stopped short. Sitting pathetically on the floor in front of my apartment, was Todd. He saw me and stood up, glancing at Tristan nervously. Tristan had stopped right behind me. He touched my shoulder and I turned.

"Rory, I'm going to go." He said, knowing I had to talk to Todd.

I nodded. "Call me sometime, okay?" I said smiling at him.

"Same to you." He said. He squeezed my shoulder once, to reassure me then got back into the elevator.

I nodded and headed towards Todd. "What are you doing here?" I asked. I didn't even try to hide how annoyed I was.

I heard the elevator doors close behind me before he answered. "Is that your new boyfriend?" He asked. His voice sounded slightly irritated.

"Um, I didn't know I was on the market for a new boyfriend." I scoffed.

Todd sighed. "I'm sorry, Rory. I've been a jerk."

"You can say that again." I huffed, crossing my arms, clearly still mad.

"Look, I said I'm sorry. We just believe in different things. We can make it work! I love you okay! I love you!" He said, practically begging.

It was the first time Todd had said I love you to me. I stared at him sadly and shook my head.

"Rory?" He asked, his shoulders sagging.

"We're over, Todd." I said, sadly.

"No. No." He said shaking his head, and reaching out to me.

I nodded slowly as I stepped slightly away from his grasp. "We're too different, Todd. If work comes first for you, we'll never work. _Ever_. We can't work that out. I'm sorry." I said softly.

"Is it that guy that just left?" He said, suddenly angry.

"This isn't about Tristan." I responded easily. "This is about us. We're just not compatible as a couple. We can be friends but we never should have been more than that." His shoulders sagged in defeat.

Todd sighed. "Yeah. I'm really sorry for making things hard for you, Rory. Maybe next girl I get, I'll be good to her and treat her right. I'll learn someday, right?" He chuckled, trying to lighten the situation. He looked so hopeful that I couldn't deny him.

"If you really want to, you will. I promise." I said, giving him a sad smile.

"Well then…" Todd trailed off awkwardly. "I guess I'll see you around work."

"Bye." I unlocked my apartment and went inside as he headed slowly to the elevator.

As soon as I was inside I reached for my cordless phone and called mom and dad's house. It was a Friday night and it was only 8:30 so they were probably still at Grandma's for dinner but I could leave a message.

_Hey it's Lorelai and Chris and our two gorgeous kids and our soon to be gorgeous kid and our oldest gorgeous kid in spirit unless of course this is my oldest gorgeous kid because then she'd be leaving a message for herself and that would be weird. So leave one! A message that is. For the gorgeous Haydens. And Gilmores. But we're all related. Whatever...I'm so confused._ BEEEEEP.

"Mom, just figured I'd let you know first. It's over between Todd and I. Talk to you tomorrow. G'night." I said, not sounding sad at all.

I hung up and went into the bedroom to change into my pajamas before settling into bed with another one of the books I'd picked up at Lucy's bookstore. Even with a breakup and a bad night, I felt strangely content and depressed at the same time. Nothing a good book and some chocolate ice cream wouldn't fix. It would all be okay in the morning and then I could talk to mom. It was all going to be okay.

AN: So, I hadn't planned on getting rid of Todd this soon. In fact I planned on the two of them making up in this scene but it just came out like this so I'm leaving it. Besides, this story is supposed to be more about Rory and Tristan building a friendship and a relationship so it's better this way anyways!

As usual, I'd appreciate some good reviews! Thank you all SO much for your reviews so far! I'm feeling a lot of support and it definitely keeps me writing! Chapter five will be up before you know it if the reviews keep flying in like this!

Also, can't forget LoVe23! You know you love the story more because of my amazing beta! Believe me, it wouldn't be as good if I didn't have LoVe23 for a beta! Thanks!

-Mellie


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

(Sorry this chapter took so long! Busy time of year!)

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Chapter 5

It was the day before New Year's Eve when I decided to brave the giant snowstorm and head out to _Hole in the Wall_. I hadn't spoken to Tristan since that awkward night at _Buffalo Wild Wings_. It wasn't on purpose. It just seemed too weird to call him up after chewing out his friends. I guess I was finally realizing how much I avoid confrontation.

I reached _Hole in the Wall_ with a giant cup of coffee in my hand just like last time and ducked inside. Lucy wasn't at the front counter so I delved right into the books. I traced my fingers along the spines as I sauntered slowly down an aisle. Suddenly I tripped over a body and fell on the floor and in this person's lap. I looked up into Tristan's face. He seemed to be dying in laughter.

"Smooth move." He choked out.

I rolled off of him and sat Indian style across from him, leaning on the shelf behind me. "Sorry, but if you weren't sitting on the floor, I wouldn't have tripped over you." I bit out, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"You could have watched where you were going." He retorted.

"You could have told me you were down there. You could have coughed or said something.

_Anything_. You just wanted me to fall and seem like a spaz. You don't fool me with your games DuGrey." I argued, my face getting redder by the minute.

Tristan laughed again, holding his hands up in surrender. "You caught me. I just sit on the floor waiting for you to trip over me."

"I knew it." I exclaimed in mock victory. "Hey, I love that book!" I said, noticing what he was reading.

Tristan glanced at the book in his hands and shrugged. "This is my first time reading it."

"You'll like it. What are you doing here anyways? There's a massive storm outside." I asked, forgetting my embarrassment from earlier.

"I could ask you the same." He replied smoothly, arching an eyebrow.

I sighed lightly. "I was bored. Lonely. I miss home."

"Did you go home for Christmas?" He asked, looking at me in concern.

I nodded but didn't speak just settling back against the shelf even more.

"I'm sorry about my friends." He said suddenly.

I blinked and lifted my head to meet his eyes. "What?"

"I said, I'm sorry about my friends. They were dicks. Honestly, I'm sorry." He said, looking down at the book in his lap.

"I just don't get it. You've changed so much. They just don't seem like your kind of people." I said, studying his movements.

He sighed, then looked up. "They aren't. Well, Chuck and Sarah aren't. We were friends back in high school. They went to a different prep school in Hartford and we hung out. I can't just abandon them. We've been through too much. As for Dan, he didn't know that the paper he was bitching about was yours until after you left and I told him. I'm sorry. I probably should have let you meet my newer, nicer friends rather than subjecting you to Chuck, Sarah and Dan. They're kind of harsh sometimes." He explained, apology clear in his eyes.

"Nick was okay." I offered, trying to lessen his obvious discomfort.

"He's a good guy." He responded, nodding in agreement.

We fell silent at that point, just sitting there. I played with the shoelaces on my dirty converse sneakers. When I finally looked up, I found Tristan's eyes on me.

"We're friends, right?" He asked.

I nodded quickly, "Of course!"

In all honesty, I wasn't quite sure what we were. But there was no way I would tell him that.

"So what are you doing for New Years Eve?" He asked suddenly.

"New Years Eve?" I blinked slowly. I guess I didn't realize the New Year was here already.

"Yeah. Do you have plans?" He said, eyeing me curiously.

I shook my head. "Nope. I don't, actually. What are you up to?"

"There's this huge party at a club downtown. Do you want to go with me? Ring in the New Year together? You know, kick it off with our new friendship?" He asked, almost shyly.

I nodded but was still slightly shocked at Tristan's behavior. I wasn't used to this Tristan. The one who was nice, and friendly, and thought about things other than sex. It was so weird but oddly refreshing.

"I'll go with you." I added, smiling up at him.

"Good. I'll pick you up at like ten, okay?" He said, smiling back at me.

"Sounds good." My cell phone rang then and I glanced at the caller ID. It was work.

"Just a minute." I told Tristan, "I need to take this."

"Go for it." He said, gesturing for me to answer the phone.

"Hello? _What_? No! _Fine_, I'll be there in twenty minutes. Bye." I hung up. "I gotta go. There's some major crisis going on at work." I said frowning, at not being able to rummage through the books.

"Go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow night then." He said, giving me a sympathetic smile.

"See you." I unfolded myself from the floor and stretched before heading towards the door stopping only to wave at Tristan and Lucy who finally made an appearance.

The next night, I was ready and waiting this time so Tristan wouldn't have time to make fun of my belongings. I was wearing a pair of tight, dark jeans with a little flare and a red silky camisole with a black short sleeved blazer and black round toed heels. They were velvet and I was in love with them. The buzzer sounded at 10:05 exactly and I smiled. He was prompt at being late. I like that in a guy. Though, Tristan was just a friend. Nothing more.

"I'll be right down." I spoke into the intercom and grabbed my small black clutch that actually had a handle so I could keep track of it all night. I grabbed my winter coat and headed downstairs. My eyes met Tristan's as I got off the elevator.

"Hey." He said as his eyes broke away from mine and traveled up and down my body a few times. That much about him hadn't changed. Though I had to admit, I found myself doing the same thing. He was wearing a black button down shirt and dark jeans as well and he looked really good.

"Did you get a haircut?" I asked as we headed outside and Tristan opened a cab door for me.

"Thanks." I said, giving him a quick smile.

"No problem. Yeah, I did. Just a bit. Why?" He said, reaching up to rub the back of his head, smoothing his hair down.

"It looks good." I tried not to blush but I could feel my cheeks heat up, so I ignored Tristan's oh so familiar smirk and turned towards the window.

"Thank you." He said genuinely. That made up for the smirk. At least he was sincere.

We arrived at the crowded club and passed off our coats to a doorman and headed inside. The club was dark with a replica of the ball in _Times Square_ in the center of the room. There were also televisions playing the actual scenes at _Times Square_ situated around the room.

"Want a drink?" Tristan leaned in close to ask me. It was the only way I could hear him over the loud music.

"Sure." I said, nodding my head.

He held his arm out and I wrapped my fingers around it so I wouldn't lose him in the crowd.

He pushed his way through. At one point, I actually got stuck in a group of people and my grip slipped from Tristan's arm. I almost panicked but his fingers grabbed onto mine and I laced them together for a better grip. We arrived at the bar, hands still linked. I could feel it but didn't want to comment or let go. So I pretended I didn't notice. He didn't let go either. Instead he leaned forward to flag down the bar tender.

"What do you want?" He leaned back towards me.

"Um, Cosmo please." I said loudly so I could be heard over the music.

"What'll it be?" The bartender finally made his way to Tristan and me.

"Cosmo and a Wild Thing." Tristan replied loudly.

The bartender headed off and as someone passed, I got shoved roughly up against the bar. I winced as pain surged through my stomach. Tristan glared at the person who'd pushed me and unlaced our fingers. I stared at them, suddenly feeling empty, until Tristan placed his hands on my hips and pulled me over so I was standing between him and the bar. He stood close to me and put his arms around me, resting his hands on the bar.

"I just want to make sure you won't get pushed around." He explained.

I nodded and leaned back into his arms. The bartender deposited our drinks in front of us and we scooped them up.

"Want to find a table?" He asked, holding out his hand to me.

I nodded and linked my fingers with his. I followed him and tried not to spill my drink. We didn't find a table but we found an armchair in a corner. A couple had just given it up and Tristan instantly sat on it, pulling me down so I was in his lap.

"This okay?" He asked, somewhat unsure of his actions.

I nodded, smiling. "Better than standing for sure."

"So you're a Cosmo Girl huh?" He asked, looking at my drink.

"The magazine _and_ the drink." I told him." What's a..." I trailed off and gestured towards his drink.

"Wild Thing. Try it." He answered, offering up his drink.

"_What is it_?" I asked again, looking at it cautiously.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Just _try_ it."

"Tristan, I don't like not knowing what I'm drinking. What's in it?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Tequila, Lime Juice, Cranberry juice and club soda." He listed off, motioning for me to take a sip.

I shrugged and reached for the glass."Mmm. That's kind of good." I took another sip and another.

Tristan laughed and pried the glass from my fingers. "I'll get you one if you want but I get this one."

"I'll trade you." I offered him my Cosmo.

"What's in a Cosmo?" He asked.

I could tell he knew but was testing me so I stepped right up. Spending a couple years with Logan, Finn, and Colin had paid off for my knowledge and tastes of alcohol.

"Lime Juice, Cranberry juice, vodka and triple sec. Kind of similar to your drink." I said proudly.

"Mmhmm. But no. I'm not a huge orange fan so the triple sec would throw me off." He said, looking at my drink with distaste.

I pouted but he still shook his head and refused to trade so I threw back my drink. "Mine's all gone. Can I have what you have now?"

Tristan rolled his eyes and handed me his glass. "Get up. I'll go get us more drinks."

"Surprise me." I offered.

He blinked at my forwardness. "Well, what do you like?"

"Anything." I told him shrugging.

He smiled. "Okay. You may regret that."

"I'll just steal yours." I said sweetly, giving him a big smile.

"So I'll make sure I like both. Got it." He said, as he made his way to the bar.

I sank into the chair and watched him go. Several girls sitting near our chair glared at me for being with him and more girls watched him go. I was happy to be with him even if it was just as friends. I was quickly finding, however, that being 'just friends' was getting harder and harder. I was pretty sure I really liked Tristan. Amazing, I know. Too bad I hadn't felt this way in high school when he was actually interested in me.

"Here." Tristan glared at a guy who was staring at my chest and handed me a glass filled with dark liquid. I stood and let Tristan sit before settling back in his arms, setting the other empty glass on the table next to us.

"What is it?" I asked, eyeing it curiously.

"Chocolate Orgasm." He said, smirking.

"Mm. Chocolate and coffee drink. My favorites." I said, smacking my lips in anticipation.

"Plus alcohol." He added.

"What did you get?" I said, looking at his drink.

"Cold Hearted Threesome without the orange juice." He said, taking a sip.

"It's not a threesome then." I frowned and shook my head in disbelief. "But let me try it."

He laughed and offered me the drink, stealing mine for a sip.

"I like trying new drinks." I explained, taking a second sip from his glass.

"Ever had a Cold Kiss?" He asked, suddenly.

"I think so…maybe…who knows! There are a lot of kissy drinks." I explained, beginning to feel a slight buzz.

"Kissy drinks?" He asked, amused.

"Drinks whose names have the word kiss in them." I explained.

"I see." He said, smiling.

"They're good. Most of them. But they lead to kissing." I sighed.

"Always?" He asked curiously.

"No." I shook my head. "But often."

To my dismay, I was thinking now of how Finn and I shared a kiss after him having a French Kiss and I had a Kiss Off. Logan never found out but we'd both felt guilty about it for months.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked, noticing the slight frown on my face.

I nodded. "Yeah. Sorry. Just reliving the past. What time is it?"

"We've got about ten minutes to till the New Year." Tristan announced after checking his watch.

We'd been sitting in this chair forever if it was already that late.

"I'm going to the bathroom but I'll find you before the ball drops." I informed him and hurried off. At the late hour, everyone was preparing for the New Year so the bathroom was nearly empty. I was able to use it quickly and fix my hair without being pushed around for the mirror. I made my way back out to the club to find Tristan.

He was still in the chair but when I got there, we moved onto the dance floor where everyone was watching the television countdown.

As the clock hit 11:59:50 the people around us began counting down. I smiled up at him and he grinned in return and then I joined in the countdown.

"5...4...3!"

Someone pushed past me and I tripped into Tristan. He steadied me and I looked up at him.

"One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Before I could change my mind, I quickly pressed my lips to Tristan's. I felt dizzy like everything was spinning. It was all so surreal.

I stumbled back, away from him and we both stared at each other. Tristan opened his mouth to say something, but afraid of what it would be, I quickly blurted, "Thanks. I just needed a New Years kiss and I'd rather it be with you than some strange guy walking past."

He blinked and closed his mouth. "No problem. Thank you, actually."

I nodded. Why did he look so dissappointed and sad? Had he thought the kiss meant something more? _Had _the kiss meant something more? Did I like Tristan? I had no idea. It was all so confusing that I just tried to push it out of my head to enjoy the rest of the night.

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AN: Some serious Trory action right? It seems sort of sudden but it'll work itself out in the next few chapters so don't worry about it! As usual, big thanks to LoVe23 for being a fantastic beta and thanks for waiting so long for this chapter! Please leave some reviews! Good, bad, ugly...I want them all! Thanks guys!

melissa


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